Chapter 14: Infection Prevention and Control; Key Terms Flashcards
Airborne Precautions
Safeguards designed to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious agents through the air a person breathes
Antibody
Immunoglobulins, essential to the immune system, that are produced by lymphoid tissue in response to bacteria, viruses, or other antigens
Antigen
Substance, usually a protein, that causes the formation of an antibody and reacts specifically with that antibody
Asepsis
Absence of germs or microorganisms
Aseptic Technique
Any health care procedure in which added precautions are used to prevent contamination of a person, object, or area by microorganisms
Asymptomatic
Clinical signs and symptoms are not present
Carriers
Person or animals who harbor and spread an organism that causes disease in others but do not become ill
Colonization
The presence and multiplication of microorganisms without tissue invasion or damage
Communicable Disease
Any disease that can be transmitted from one person or animal to another by direct or indirect contact or by vectors
Contact Precautions
Safeguards designed to reduce the risk of transmission of epidemiologically important microorganisms by direct or indirect contact
Disinfection
Process of destroying all pathogenic organisms, except spores
Droplet Precautions
Safeguards designed to reduce the risk of droplet transmission of infectious agents
Endogenous Infection
Infections produced within a cell or organism
Exogenous Infection
Infection originating outside an organ or part
Flora
Microorganisms that live on or within a body to compete with disease-producing microorganisms and provide a natural immunity against certain infections
Health Care-Acquired Infection (HAI)
An infection that was not present or incubating at the time of admission to a health care setting
Immunity
The quality of being insusceptible to or unaffected by a particular disease or condition
Infection
The invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms that reproduce and multiply
Inflammation
Protective response of body tissues to irritation or injury
Inflammatory Response
Protective reaction that neutralizes pathogens and repairs body cells
Medical Asepsis
Clean techniques that includes procedures to reduce the number and prevent the spread of microorganisms
Microorganisms
Microscopic entities, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, capable of carrying on living processes
Necrotic
Of or pertaining to the death of tissue in response to disease or injury
Pathogenicity
Ability of a pathogenic agent to produce a disease
Pathogens
Microorganisms capable of producing disease
Reservoir
A place where microorganisms survive, multiply, and await transfer to a susceptible host